


friends will be friends

by orphan_account



Series: rom coms [1]
Category: Bohemian Rhapsody (Movie 2018), Bohemian Rhapsody (Movie 2018) Actor RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non-Famous, Angst with a Happy Ending, Cheating, Falling In Love, Fluff and Angst, Jealousy, M/M, because i love a rom com, ben needs a hug, gwil is an english teacher, gwilym is adorable, gwilym is engaged, inspired by my best friends wedding
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-05
Updated: 2019-03-12
Packaged: 2019-11-12 09:49:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,354
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18008639
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: falling in love with your best friend is hard enough,but an engaged one? that's another level of messed up.or,Ben and Gwil made a pact that if neither were married by the age of 28 they would marry each other. Weeks before his twenty eighth birthday, Gwilym announces his engagement. Ben's downfall begins there.





	1. chapter 1: so close, yet so far away.

**Author's Note:**

> hi!  
> so i decided to write a bunch of fics that are inspired (but with their own storyline) by some of my favourite romantic comedies with the characters of Ben Hardy and Gwilym Lee. My first one is friends will be friends which is inspired by my best friends wedding:) In this, nobody is famous and Ben and Gwil are the same age. Everyone lives in London too. 
> 
> i love comments, they make me v happy. 
> 
> chloe :)

 

       "Have a good weekend, Hardy!" a colleague with a name that he couldn't recall called over to him as he was heading out of the office for the night. It had been a long day, seemingly to drag while the blonde did nothing but stare at a bunch of paper work with  _ben_ scribbled across it, that he knew he had to do, but the process of actually doing it seeming somewhat impossible. 

Now however, he was basically running out of his work building to avoid someone catching his attention and asking him to do overtime, which he sure as hell was not doing. Although, it wasn't like he had any plans tonight, he lived alone ( _correction, he lived with his beloved beagle)_  in a tiny apartment in central London that cost a painful amount and the most he would be doing once he got home was preparing a meal for one and falling asleep way too early for a twenty seven year old in front of the TV. 

But that was ok, because it was his routine and he was happy with that. 

The second he was in his car, he was slamming the door a little too enthusiastically the second he caught sight of Madeline, one of the accountants in the firm he worked in entering the car park and he knew if she caught sight of him he would be trapped in the car park for at least half an hour while she discussed her wedding day, which had occurred at least two months ago but she was still gushing about it. At first Ben didn't mind, he was happy that his friend was so pleased with her new husband, but now? Ben was tired of hearing about the perfect Jackson and their amazing life together. 

As usual, Frankie was waiting by the door as he entered the apartment and soon enough he had an armful of beagle. "Hey you." he cooed, rubbing at the dogs ear. "How about we get you some tea, huh? C'mon." he placed Frankie back on the floor before pulling off his over worn blazer and kicking off his shoes before following the excited dog into the kitchen. 

Once Frankie was fed and settled he turned his attention to himself. Pasta, he was feeling pasta- his thoughts were cut off the second there was a loud banging at his door which caused Frankie to run down the hall and in the direction of Ben's bedroom, where he assumed she would hide under the bed. He mentally cursed whoever was behind the door for startling his dog and headed towards the front door, yanking it open to reveal a ever so familiar tall figure. 

His frown was automatically replaced with an oversized grin as his mind caught up with who was stood in his doorway. Gwilym seemed just as happy to see Ben and soon enough the blonde was being yanked into a hug before they even had chance to say hello. Ben didn't mind though, it had been months since he had seen his best friend and just the sight of the bearded man was enough to drag Ben out of the mood he had been in for the past couple of days (or weeks, or months, whatever). 

Gwilym was first to pull away and he was still smiling as he did. "Long time no see, blondie." he teased, a nickname that he often called the shorter man to wind him up. When it first had started, Ben had been irritated but he soon discovered that being annoyed by Gwilym was a trait that he could never have. So naturally, Blondie stayed. "Missed me?" 

Ben playfully punched at his arm before grabbing a handful of his coat and pulling him over the threshold of his apartment. Ben mentally swore at himself for not cleaning up, but after all, he wasn't expecting any visitors. Never mind Gwilym. 

"What are you doing back in London?" Ben asked once they had taken their seats around the sofa. "Visiting?" 

Being Welsh, Gwilym had started teaching at a school in Cardiff a while ago and had moved from London back to Wales. Considering Ben and Gwil had been basically inseparable since the day they met in science class aged thirteen, when Gwil had announced they wouldn't be living in the same city anymore, the blonde couldn't deny how much he had missed his best friend. 

"Not visiting." Gwil grinned, all teeth. "I'm moving back to London, Ben. Apartment is all ready, i've been offered a place to teach English Literature at a nearby school in London. I'm back-" Gwilym didn't have chance to carry on as the blonde was throwing himself forward in a painfully tight embrace with the other man. Thankfully, Gwilym was strong enough to handle a squeeze from Ben as he just held back onto him just as tight while chuckling. 

"Does that mean you're pleased?" Gwil asked with a smirk, already knowing the answer. 

"Yes you little shit." Ben huffed, "Why are you just telling me now?"

Gwilym shrugged, still smiling, "Wanted it to be a surprise." 

Gwilym and Ben were best friends since aged thirteen. Ben was instantly taken by the at-the-time shy boy that had just moved to his school and straight into his class. Thankfully for Ben, the day of Gwilym's arrival, the girl that usually sat beside Ben was off on a sick day so the teacher saw the empty space beside the blonde and offered the seat to Gwilym. It had started then really. 

They would eat lunch together every day, get the tube home together, basically live at each other houses on the weekend (so much so that Ben had a pair of ninja turtle pyjamas in Gwilym's closet). They had supported each other when they had experienced their first heart break, knew each other better than anyone else on the planet, and even though Ben would never admit it he cried for three years straight when Gwilym studied at Cardiff University. But he always came back. They had grown up around each other and experienced that together, and for that, Ben would always have a special place in his heart for his tallest friend. 

Gwilym had been the one to come to every rugby and football game that Ben had been involved with, had laid with him in bed watching movies all day and every day when he broke his leg, had held his best friends hand when they attended the funeral of Gwilym's grandparents together, Ben had slept in Gwilym's bed, wrapped in his best friends hoodie when his parents had been in a car crash and the blonde had been too scared to sleep alone. 

"Oh look who it is-" Gwilym grinned the second Frankie wandered back in, deeming it safe enough to enter. The second the dog caught sight of Gwil, she was running towards him and almost knocking him over as he attempted to kneel down and almost lost his footing. Ben watched his beloved dog and his... beloved Gwilym reunite after not seeing each other for months. "I missed you too princess." Gwilym chuckled as the dog continued to lick at his face, Ben just watching with a huge smile. 

"Okay... okay, she's hogging you now." Ben teased, finally getting Gwilym's attention back on him. Yes, he was jealous of his dog. Frankie seemed to accept this and rushed over to her bed in the corner of the room, allowing Gwilym to stand back up and return to Ben. 

"sooo.." Gwilym said slowly looking up at Ben with a nervous grin. "I do have something else to tell you..." 

Ben nodded slowly, somewhat unsure of what his best friend was about to announce. 

Gwilym bit his lip before continuing, "It literally just happened so i haven't been keeping anything from you- uh and it was kinda sudden. Like a sudden so try not to be so shocked, alright-" 

Ben cut Gwilym off with a chuckle, "Gwil, just tell me-" 

"I'm engaged-" 

The smile was swiped straight off the blonde's face as he took in the words that had just been said.  _Engaged? As in... engaged to be married... as in, Gwilym is engaged to somebody?_ Ben didn't even freaking realise he was in a relationship- 

"Ben?" Gwilym prompted him, studying his face. 

Realising that Gwilym must be a little put off by the sudden horror that was plastered across his best friends face, Ben physically forced himself to smile and he glanced up with his bright blue eyes and smiled, "engaged? Really? Wow, i didn't even know-" 

"Yes, i know, i know." Gwilym awkwardly chuckled, "Me and Jessica were kinda on and off, we haven't been together for long and you might think i'm crazy.. But i'm twenty eight in a couple of weeks and i feel like this is the right time. Plus my parents seem to like her, soo.." 

Almost twenty eight... Ben thought to himself, 

_"Uh, this fucking sucks-" eighteen year old Gwilym muttered as he threw himself backwards onto Ben's bed as the blonde continued to watch his best friend in amusement. "I'm going to be forever alone, she dumped me! seriously- stop laughing" Ben shielded himself quickly as he was hit with a pillow to the face. He most likely deserved it._

_"Gwil, we are eighteen. Not eighty." Ben reminded him, as the brunette dropped his head against Ben's stomach. "You will not die alone. Plus, look at you, you're gorgeous."_

_Gwilym groaned and shoved his face harder into the comfort of Ben, "You have to say that. You're my best friend."_

_Ben nodded and dragged his fingers through the soft locks of Gwil, "True." he hummed. "But i would never lie to my best friend."_

_Gwilym glanced up with him with a small smile, "Fine." he added quickly, "But i am still going to die alone."_

_"I pinky promise-"_

_"How can you be so sure?" Gwilym asked._

_"Fine!" Ben groaned, suddenly making a decision in his own mind. "If we are both single by the age of twenty eight, i'll marry you."_

_Gwilym raised his eyebrow, "Twenty eight? Bit of a random age, don't you think?"_

_Ben shrugged, "I was just thinking about ten years from now, alright?" He held his pinky out, "Is it a deal or not?"_

_"Fine! If we are both single by the age of twenty eight. We will get married."_

"I'm so happy for you." Ben forced out, a huge smile that was a little exaggerated making it's way across his face. 

Gwilym nodded, still a little unsure. "Yeah?" 

"Of course." Ben held onto Gwilym's shoulder a little tighter than usual, "You're my best friend. As long as you are happy, i'm happy." 

Gwilym sighed with a whole lot of relief and pulled Ben into a hug, the blonde automatically moving his head into the crook of Gwil's shoulder, smelling nothing but cologne.. and Gwilym. "You have to be my best man, obviously." Gwilym spoke up, but didn't pull out of their embrace. Instead he squeezed Ben a little tighter. 

"Of course, mate." Ben whispered, "Anything for you." 

 


	2. chapter 2: i want to feel alive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben meets Jessica.  
> Since when did Gwil become so irresistible?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i was listening to i want to feel alive by the lighthouse and the whaler while writing this so i decided to name the chapter after the song. nice.
> 
> sometimes i update real quick. sometimes i'm real slow, it's a mystery.

Ben was nervously pulling at the collar of his button up. He didn't exactly wear button ups outside of work, and if he was being honest, he preferred it that way. However, when he had gotten a call from his best friend asking if he wanted to meet up for a meal, Ben had jumped at the chance. His enthusiasm somewhat deflating once he found out that Gwil would be bringing Jessica because apparently  _you're really important to me Ben, i need the person i am going to marry to like my best friend._ And Ben being the dedicated best friend he was, agreed. In fact, he dressed to impress. If he was meeting Jessica for the first time, he needed to make an impression. 

After all, If Gwilym was happy with her. He'd do anything in his power to make sure Gwil stayed that way. 

Gwilym had picked the restaurant. Which was typical for Gwil and Ben, the blonde often trusted the brunettes judgement better than his own. When they had gone on holiday together when they were twenty, Ben had made sure that Gwilym picked everything. It didn't surprise him that he enjoyed it so much- therefore, he didn't doubt that whoever this women was who Gwilym was about to marry, she have to be great since Gwilym likes her enough to marry her. 

So, Ben was going to do everything in his power to get along with this girl to please Gwilym. That's what best friends do right? 

Everything he just mentally said to him vanished the second he spotted Gwilym walking into the restaurant, dressed in one of the light blue button ups and a pair of skinny jeans that emphasised the long length of his legs. It took Ben a couple of seconds to realise that he was walking in with somebody, not just anyone either, the gorgeous women who was walking in sync beside him was clearing his fiancè and  _fuck_ she was good looking. They looked perfect together. 

She had long brown hair that curled slightly, bright eyes and a smile that seemed to captivate Gwil like no other had before. Ben couldn't decide how long he was stuck in his own thoughts, just watching his best friend move closer to him, followed by an insanely beautiful women that made Ben want to cover his face and never see daylight again. 

"Ben!" He snapped back into reality as he glanced up to see the pair stood right in front of him, looking down at him as if they thought he hadn't even seen them come in, when in fact he had been studying them for a reason he couldn't exactly make out right now. Because why was he so bothered by her looks? Of course Gwilym was going to end up with someone as perfect as her, she was probably really smart as well, probably ate all her vegetables, had a degree- everything Ben wasn't. "Hey, daydreamer." 

"Uh, hey, Gwil-" he allowed himself to be pulled into a hug and he awkwardly smiled towards the women over his best friends shoulder. He squeezed Gwilym just a little tighter before finally letting go, having a good look at his face before finally giving the brunette some personal space.  _Wait- did he have to do that now? After all,_ Gwilym's fiancé would live with him now. Which means that Ben couldn't go around and watch movies with Gwil like they usually did, which involved the blonde clinging onto the taller man like his life depended on it. He wasn't just Ben's best friend anymore. 

Pushing aside the fact that he was just being a jealous best friend, because that was normal right? Ben was just grumpy because his best friend had someone and he didn't, that didn't mean he wasn't happy for him. 

"This is Jess. Jess, this is my best friend, Ben." Gwilym introduced them both once they took a seat around the table that was a little too close for comfort. Jessica sat in between Gwilym and Ben, like a barrier. 

"Ah, Ben." her accent was even perfect. "Gwilym has told me so much about you.. I've also seen a lot of pictures." she teased.

"Oh?"  _well i've known about you for approximately three days so that's great._ "It's great to meet you." 

The conversion went ahead like that, Ben learnt a hell of a lot about Jessica and he only spoke up about himself when prompted. She is a lawyer, graduated from Kings college London, she is twenty six and even has a dog. At least that gave he and Jess something to bond over as they spent at least twenty minutes swapping photos of Ben's beagle Frankie and Jessica's lab, Zoe. Gwilym just sat back and smiled watching as his best friend interacted with the women he was going to marry, after all, Ben's seal of approval was more important to him than anyone else. 

And as much as Ben hated to admit it, Jessica was lovely. Basically the human equivalent of a fucking angel and it didn't take the blonde long to realise why Gwilym wanted to marry this women. Well, Ben for sure didn't want to marry her, but he could accept the reasons why Gwil would like to. 

"C'mon then, spill-" Gwilym chuckled once they were alone. Jessica was outside on the phone, something to do with work, leaving Gwil and Ben sat at the table alone. "What are you thinking?" 

Ben wanted to say the opposite of what he was thinking, but he couldn't bare the look of disappointment that would plaster itself across his best friends face. So he sucked it up and forced a smile, "She's amazing, Gwil." he wasn't exactly lying, she was lovely, one of the sweetest people he had ever met and he couldn't decide why he was so pissed off about that. "Really, i'm happy for you.. for you both." 

Gwilym smiled, all teeth and everything. "Yeah?" he prompted. 

"Of course, Gwil." Ben smiled for real this time, the power of his best friend after all. Gwilym was so happy he leaned across the table, almost knocking over an empty wine class on the table as he did, before Ben felt a pair of long arms wrap around his shoulders and he allowed himself to be tugged forward. 

"Sorry to break this moment up-" both men pulled away from each other and glanced up towards Jessica who was stood beside the table, smiling. "I gotta rush off, my sister needs a babysitter and apparently i am the only person available." 

"Oh, that's okay-" Ben said, with a small smile. It had been a long night after all and he would be thankful to return to Frankie. 

"You can stay with your friend though, Gwil." Jessica assured, "I'll get the tube-" 

"Nah, that's alright, Gwil." Ben added quickly, he didn't want to be a third wheel for much longer. "You can take him Jess. I've had my dose of Gwil for the day, he's all  _yours_." Ben caught Gwilym's eyes the second they made eye contact, Ben nodded, "I'll see you soon enough." 

"You sure?" Gwilym asked as he started putting his jacket back on, 

"Don't worry, Frankie has got to be missing me." the blonde chuckled, slipping his own coat on as he stood up. He gave Gwilym and Jessica both hugs before he was heading down the dark streets of London, alone, but finally relieved to be alone. 

He sighed the second he was in his apartment, only managing a smile when he heard the familiar sound of Frankie leaping off the sofa and into his arms. 

 

 

"You look rough. Party hard last night?"  _Nah, i curled up in a ball on my sofa and watched  lady and the tramp for the eighth time._ He turned to see one of his colleagues glancing towards him, a small smile on her face as she waited for some type of response. They were sat side by side, in the office, waiting aimlessly for five o'clock to appear. 

"Nah, just went out for dinner at with some fancy restaurant." he shrugs, "Tires me out being out that late at night." 

"Alright grandpa" Eve teased, knocking his shoulder. "Were you on a date or something?" 

 _I wish,_ "Best friend was introducing me to his wife to be." he rubbed his forehead as he spoke, only looking towards her after she was silent for a few seconds. 

"Right...." she laughed, "The way you are acting, i thought you had done something terrible. Hate his fiancé or something?" 

Ben groaned, "No. She's lovely." 

Eve just titled her head, clearly not understanding why Ben looked like he had been kicked in the head. After all, Ben didn't know himself. Maybe he had just woke up in a bad mood, he was grumpy, it was normal and it was nothing to do with Gwilym and his insanely perfect fiancé. Not at all. 

"Oh." Eve nodded to herself, annoyingly tapping her pen against her lip as if she had just discovered the secret behind world peace. She just smirked, not speaking until she was prompted to by the irritated blonde.  

"You crushing on your bestie. That's it, isn't it?" 

Ben just starred back at her, mouth agape as he tried to take in what she had just said.  _crushing on Gwilym?_ No fucking way, now his best friend was a gorgeous person inside and out but Gwil and Ben? Together? No way, absolutely no way- 

"No. I do not fancy my best friend, are you insane?" he whispered, realising that they actually were not alone in the office. "So stop right there-" 

"Oh come on, i was kidding." she chuckled, but continued anyway. "show us a picture of him." 

Ben was about to protest, but he figured, he loved talking about Gwilym and therefore he pulled out his phone and scrolled through his camera roll until he found a picture of Gwilym. It was a selfie that Gwil had recently sent him, he was wearing his welsh rugby shit and grinning. Being cocky because Wales beat England, but Ben loved the picture, so of course he said it. 

"Damn..." Eve muttered under her breathe as she starred down at the photo of Gwil. "Fucking hell, he's gorgeous. I wouldn't blame you if you were jealous of the girl stealing him off you-" 

"Hey! She's not stealing him from me." he pointed it out, "He was my best friend for a long time before he was her fiancé." Maybe he said that a little too smugly but he wasn't going to admit it. 

"Alright, alright." Eve chuckled and passed the phone back to him, "Maybe i should set you up with one of my friends then? Since you clearly don't have any feelings towards Gwilym. Who is gorgeous by the way-" 

"Go on then." he found himself blurting out before he even realised what he was saying, "But i am picky." 

Maybe this was exactly what he needed. 


	3. chapter 3: i feel fine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ben tries to date. ben fails.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is named after i feel fine by the beatles  
> clearly i've decided to follow the theme of chapters name after songs :p

Without sounding rude, the second Ben saw the guy that was patiently waiting for him on one side of the table in the restaurant they had agreed up to meet at, he regretted ever agreeing to this stupid blind date. And that wasn't because of how the guy looked, he wasn't shallow, it was because the second he saw the guy he suddenly felt like he was making a commitment that he no longer wanted to be involved in. 

Maybe it was because he simply didn't feel like dating at the moment, he was perfectly fine being single and the only real reason he had agreed to this in the first place was because of Gwil's sudden engagement that had him feeling a little shit. But now? No, Ben had completely accepted that engagement and he was pleased that there was somebody out there that could make his best friend happy, as long as Gwil was never hurt, Ben would be happy. 

The guys name was Jackson. He was sweet and he talked a lot, but Ben didn't mind, since he had spent most of the date thinking about what type of suit Gwil would pick for his wedding. Ben hoped he wore navy, Gwil suited blue. So, the blonde simply allowed the guy that was notedly a lot shorter than Gwilym and had black hair, unlike Gwil's brunette locks that Ben was so familiar with. Jackson was clean shaven, unlike Gwil- and  _fuck, Ben really needs to stop comparing his date to his best friend._ Surely that has to be unacceptable and if there was a mind reading in the room right now, they are surely judging him. 

"You alright?" Jackson brought him out of his mini daydream and Ben was thankful the guy didn't look pissed that he had clearly been caught not listening, in fact he was smiling in a nervous manner that had Ben wanting to look away. "Thinking about something?"  _or someone?_

"Sorry, i was just thinking about some shit at work. It's nothing really." Ben lied, like he ever thought about work outside of office hours. "You probably regret coming out with me tonight now, don't you?" 

Jackson chuckled to himself before reaching over and squeezing Ben's hand. Ben allowed him to hold his hand for a few seconds before he was taking his hand back and placing it in his lap, where he was comfortable. "No way." Ben looked up with a raised eyebrow, "You're good looking, you know that right?" 

Ben laughed awkwardly to himself, because if this was flirting, he wasn't into it. Mentally snapping at himself for his thoughts being rude about the poor guy that had done nothing to him, he forced a smile before dragging himself into a conversation that he wasn't really interested in, but accepted for the sake of the date not being uncomfortable. Plus, he and Jackson shared a mutual friend and he really didn't need her being pissed with him for being rude to her friend. 

It was only until his phone beeped in his pocket that he was once again interrupting Jackson to glance down at his front screen. He had every intention to ignore it, until he saw Gwilym's name pop up with a text. He made sure that Jackson was still talking as he clicked on the message and hid a smile as he read Gwil's words. 

_you busy? I'm borrrrreeedd_

He glanced up and Jackson was discussing what he had done at degree. Apparently he disliked any subjects like English Literature and that was enough for Ben to know that maybe he and Jackson were not meant to be. 

 _nah im not busy_ he lied  _whatcha wanna do???_

It took Gwil a few minutes to reply so Ben had allowed himself to fall back into a conversation with Jackson. Apparently he was currently a lawyer, he lived in East London and he had two cats. Ben listened, until his phone beeped in his hand again and he glanced down to see Gwil had replied. 

_wanna go on a drive? now..._

Sure, he hadn't been here long and it would most likely be rude to ditch Jackson now, a potential love interest, simply because Gwilym wanted company. But this was Ben, and his priority always seemed to fall with the brunette. 

"I'm so sorry-" Ben suddenly blurted out, his decision already decided within his own head. Jackson finally stopped and glanced up, waiting for the blonde to continue. "I have to go help a mate out, there's been a situation-" 

Ben was thankful when Jackson cut him off, "That's okay." he quickly smiled, "Go ahead-" 

Once they had said their goodbyes, he sent a quick text to Gwilym, telling him where to pick him up before he sat by the nearest bench, patiently waiting for his best friends arrival. It was just over ten minutes later that Ben spotted Gwilym's car and he was rushing forward, thankful to be out of the cold weather in London and inside Gwilym's car. 

"Hey you-" Gwil grinned as the blonde jumped into the passangers seat. 

"Missed me did ya?" Ben teased as he leaned over and started messing with the radio. If it had been anyone else but Ben, they'd have had their hands slapped away for messing with Gwilym's beloved car. The blonde however, knew he had a free pass. "Where's Jessica? Busy?"  _in other words- am i second best now?_

"Nope. She's at home." Gwil replied, allowing another car to pass them. "Just felt like seeing you. Is that bad?"

 _Yep, that's right Jess. He's still all mine-_ Ben mentally cursed himself when his brain caught up with what his head was saying. No, he wasn't going to be mean about Jessica who was lovely and made Gwilym happy simply because he was posessive over his best friend. "Not bad." Ben hummed as he starred out of the window, watching the world pass by. "Just thought i'd be fighting for your attention." 

Gwilym laughed softly, clearly thinking the blonde wasn't being serious.  _If only_ Ben thought as his eyes turned on Gwil. 

He was attractive. Ben could admit that right? It wasn't like he was leaning across the car and trying to snog his best friend who happened to be engaged to be married. No, he was just making a casual comment that nobody would ever need to know about. Because, Gwil was going to marry this beautiful girl, maybe they'd have kids- adorable kids that Ben would be one of those uncles too that was single forever and maybe if he was lucky he'd be their godparent. The kids would be insanely cute, because, they'd have Gwilym's genes and Ben would love them even though it hurt to look at them. 

"You alright, daydreamer?" Ben glanced up and stared right back into the orbs of Gwilym's eyes. Despite his best friend looking slightly concerned, he was still smiling. 

"Oh yeah." Ben nodded. "Just been a long day." 

"I wasn't interrupting anything, was i?" Gwilym asked.  _Just a date, don't need to mention that though._

"No." Ben smiled. "Of course not." 

The car was stopping in the next couple of seconds and before the blonde could question where the hell they were- because it was so dark outside he couldn't see- Gwilym was jumping out of the car and disappearing into the dark. 

"Gwilym?" Ben called out the second he was also out of the car. Thankfully, his eyes landed on the taller man and although he hated to admit how much he hated the dark, he did shuffle forward until he was close enough to Gwil that their arms kept knocking together. 

"C'mon, you don't recognise it?" Gwilym chuckled as he started walking forward. Ben quirked an eyebrow, but happily followed the guy, anything but stand in a dark field alone. "We used to come here together, as kids. Remember, we skipped double maths together once." 

Ben smiled as he reached out and touched a familiar bench, remembering the times when they were sixteen and (usually Ben) would convince Gwilym to ditch school for an hour or so, they would catch the tube and end up here. It was nothing special, in fact, it was just a lake and an abandoned kids park that nobody ever went to. 

"Come over here." Gwilym said, breaking Ben from his thoughts. The blonde quickly followed, smiling widely when he saw what Gwilym was stood in front of. He reached forward and pressed his fingers against the tree surface, touching the engravings  _G & B _with an awful smiling face that Gwil had done underneath their initials. Sure, it was cringe and cliche but it was so Ben and Gwil that his chest felt a little too tight as he stared up at Gwil with a smile. 

"Cute right?" Gwilym questioned as he threw an arm around the blonde, Ben happily falling into his hold. He knew everything Gwil did was platonic and that was okay, just as long as he continued to do it. 

"It feels like a lifetime ago." Ben whispered, "I really missed you when you were in Wales, y'know?" 

"I missed you too." Gwilym replied rather quickly. "Can't survive without my left arm, can i?" 

Ben starred up at the taller man, trying to force back the tears that were so desperate to appear. Gwilym was about to speak, Ben could tell, but the phone shoved in his best friends pocket began ringing and suddenly Gwilym was looking away and focusing on the phone. 

"Hey babe-" Ben glanced away the second he realised Jessica was on the phone. Walking slightly away while he let Gwilym talk to his partner, only looking his shoulder to check that the man was still on the phone a couple of minutes later. 

He wouldn't deny the way his heart dropped when he saw the huge smile on Gwilym's face as he talked to her. 

**Author's Note:**

> lemme know if you like this.... or hate it. i don't mind which.


End file.
